Renovations are on the board for F.D. Moon Academy
As recently as March, F.D. Moon Academy was being considered for closure.
That didn’t happen, and now the elementary school in northeast Oklahoma City has a new principal and is getting $2.3 million worth of MAPS for Kids renovations, city officials announced this week.
Residents are invited to a community meeting at the school, 1901 NE 13, at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 to learn more about the renovations and review the project’s preliminary design, which includes an elevator, renovated restrooms and a new fire sprinkler system.
“OKCPS is excited to move forward with plans for safety upgrades to this facility that were promised to the community through MAPS for Kids,” Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora said in a statement. “I would encourage families to come out and be a part of the meeting.”
In March, Lora considered five schools for closure or consolidation to save money. She decided instead to cut teaching positions, contracts and expenditures.
At the time, The Oklahoman reported the city had spent more than $15 million in MAPS for Kids money to improve five of those schools but only $41,000 on roof repairs at Moon.
Renovation projects at Moon were delayed twice according to information provided by the city.
Aaron Kellert, Moon’s first-year principal, said last month he was out to change the poorperforming school’s perception by improving literacy and culture.
The renovations will help provide a safe and secure learning environment, he said.
“I would encourage families to come out and be a part of the meeting,” Kellert said in a statement. “We are glad for the upgrades because they are sorely needed and we want to make sure our students have the opportunity to come to a safe and secure building where they can learn every day.”
In addition to MAPS for Kids renovations, Moon will receive $50,000 in bond money for safety enhancements that include a secure main entrance that requires visitors to check in at the front office before proceeding through a school building.
In November, voters passed $180 million worth of bonds to address the district’s maintenance, technology and transportation needs.
The upcoming community meeting is being coordinated by the Design Architects Plus and the Metropolitan Are Public Schools (OCMAPS) Trust.
For more information, contact the MAPS office at 297-3461.